The New Colossus

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Emma Lazarus1883Reconstruction to Gilded AgePoem

Why It Matters

The sonnet mounted inside the Statue of Liberty's pedestal — “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free” — that recast the statue as the symbol of American welcome.

Official Text

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame, With conquering limbs astride from land to land; Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame. "Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!" Emma Lazarus November 2, 1883

Provenance

License
Public domain (published before 1930)
Length
110 words
Retrieved
Fri, 03 Jul 2026 14:17:08 GMT
SHA-256
2d7e6e1bf6e087b70f8ed24d46b6abb4f08754df933fe329afd9e4dba726e651